Standards for the 21st Century Learner

Standard 4. Learners use skills, resources, and tools to pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

Skills

4.1.1 Read, view, and listen for pleasure and personal growth.

4.1.2 Read widely and fluently to make connections with self, the world, and previous reading.

4.1.3 Respond to literature and creative expressions of ideas in various formats and genres.

4.1.4 Seek information for personal learning in a variety of formats and genres.

4.1.5 Connect ideas to own interests and previous knowledge and experience.

4.1.6 Organize personal knowledge in a way that can be called upon easily.

4.1.7 Use social networks and information tools to gather and share information.

4.1.8 Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning.

Dispositions in Action

4.2.1 Display curiosity by pursuing interests through multiple resources.

4.2.2 Demonstrate motivation by seeking information to answer personal questions and interests, trying a variety of formats and genres, and displaying a willingness to go beyond academic requirements.

4.2.3 Maintain openness to new ideas by considering divergent opinions, changing opinions or conclusions when evidence supports the change, and seeking information about new ideas encountered through academic or personal experiences.

4.2.4 Show an appreciation for literature by electing to read for pleasure and expressing an interest in various literary genres.

Responsibilities

4.3.1 Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person.

4.3.2 Recognize that resources are created for a variety of purposes.

4.3.3 Seek opportunities for pursuing personal and aesthetic growth.

4.3.4 Practice safe and ethical behaviors in personal electronic communication and interaction.

Self-Assessment Strategies

4.4.1 Identify own areas of interest.

4.4.2 Recognize the limits of own personal knowledge.

4.4.3 Recognize how to focus efforts in personal learning.

4.4.4 Interpret new information based on cultural and social context.

4.4.5 Develop personal criteria for gauging how effectively own ideas are expressed.

4.4.6 Evaluate own ability to select resources that are engaging and appropriate for personal interests and needs.

Excerpted from Standards for the 21st-Century Learner by the American Association of School Librarians, a division of the American Library Association, copyright (c) 2007 American Library Association. Complete document available for download at www.ala.org/aasl/standards. Used with permission. (Permission granted 2/10/10).